London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

London County Council 1963

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: Table (ii)— General section

Table (ii)— General section

19591960196119621963
Average mileage per patient3.943.833.894.04.1
Average mileage per journey8.158.118.178.28.1
Patients carried per 100 journeys207212210208199

Table: Table (iii)— Accident section

Table (iii)— Accident section

YearNumber of calls receivedAmbulance not requiredAverage time to incident (in minutes)Average time from incident to hospital (in minutes)
1959104,9838,6406.66.2
1960109,5519,6446.86.4
1961114,93510,3507.06.2
1962117,02010,4207.06.5
1963125,18311,5847.06.5

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notes—1. These numbers include some urgent parturition cases and patients removed by general section
ambulances when passing the scene of an accident.
2. Some accident calls are answered by vehicles from general stations, usually when an ambulance
from the nearest accident station is not available.

Table: Table (iv)— Accident section—Source of calls

Table (iv)— Accident section—Source of calls

19591960196119621963
Public and l.C.C. staff72,79376,70581,75584,26188,947
Police16,43016,50516,75316,39616,937
Midwives1420326339307234
Doctors7,0927,5227,9648,54911,225
Hospitals2,0212,1862,0451,9332,000
Railway officials2,9312,8962,8682,6542,690
Local calls †923893788827779
London Fire Brigade1,0671,055789596687
Out county1,3061,4631,6341,4971,684
Total calls104,983109,551114,935117,020125,183
* Fewer calls for gas-and-air analgesia apparatus because of the introduction of trilene apparatus which is portable by midwives. † Made personally at ambulance stations.

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Vehicles—By the end of the year 199 of the new type Austin ambulances were in service
in replacement of Daimlers. Many modifications and improvements to the original
prototype were carried out and research continued into the possibility of further improvement.
The vehicle strength at 31.12.63 was:
Large ambulances 250
Single stretcher, sitting case ambulances 75
Sitting case cars 18*
Ambulance coaches 6
Mobile control unit for major accidents 1
Tenders 2
352
* Including four cars for the use of visiting officers.
61